12/14/2015 5:00 PM PST

Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone's butler did it -- he filed a lawsuit against her husband for mercilessly mocking his sexual orientation.

The butler in question, Carl Hajik, says he'd been working for Petra and James Stunt for about a year when a family dinner -- in the mansion they bought from Candy Spelling -- went off the rails.

Hajik says he accidentally tripped Petra's 1-year-old niece while serving Stunt chili oil for his pizza. Hajik says he apologized repeatedly before leaving ... but Stunt followed him to the staff room, spit in his face and yelled, "No one slams doors in my house!"

He says it got physical -- Stunt pushed him and continued ranting, calling him ... a "lady hater," who was "soft around the edges" and should be "wearing a dress."

Hajik says he immediately walked out of the mansion and resigned. He's suing for back pay and damages.

Fun fact: Petra's dad, Bernie Ecclestone﻿, is CEO of Formula One and worth about $4 billion. Legal fees won't be a problem.